The area in Woodbury is already saturated with people and traffic and more coming with additional parking and stores at Woodbury Common. (Another concern: It would be close to M-W High School.)

Pauline H. Watson

Salisbury Mills

I am concerned about the possibility of a major casino complex in the Village of Woodbury. While lower property tax benefits are a plus, the initial proposal for casinos in the Hudson Valley was meant to provide economic stimulus to struggling county economies, such as Sullivan and Ulster counties.

Unemployment in Orange County was a total of 7.9 percent, while Sullivan has an unemployment rate of 11.2 percent and Ulster was 9 percent. The median household income, including benefits, was $70,712 in Orange, $48,050 in Sullivan and $58.934 in Ulster. The percentage of all people whose income fell below the poverty line in the past 12 months shows another important difference: 11.7 percent in Orange, 17.2 percent in Sullivan and 12.9 percent in Ulster.

Multiple policies could change the economic conditions of citizens in Sullivan and Ulster counties, but it is clear that developing casino gaming in Orange County would not have the same effects as developing in a willing Sullivan and/or Ulster County

There are more facts that will be sure to develop over time, but the initial movements are crucial to further progress across the region. Prior to those developments, I wish to voice my concerns and the concerns of my fellow residents. I do support casinos in the region, as long as there is strong public support for it, but a casino in Orange County does not follow the thought process that voters used while voting for the constitutional amendment.

Brandon Graham

Highland Mills

An Oscar for the Oscars. Sex and machismo are two of Hollywood's most saleable commodities. They were off limits at the Oscars.

Choosing a host who is both a woman and gay, the poised and affable Ellen DeGeneres, sent a quiet message to us all. Good show, Hollywood.